Fastening device



Patented Apr. 9, 1940 UNITED t me FASTENING m ivioiz George A.Tinnerman,

Rocky River, Ohio, as-

' 'signor, by mesne assignments, to Tinnerman Products, Inc., Cleveland,Ohio, a corporation Original application'January 7, 1937, Serial No.

119,415. Divided and this application May 6, 1939, Serial No. 272,180

6 Claims.

This invention relates threadless fasteners, and particularly to thosewhich are adapted to be used in an assembly wherein it is necessary forthe fastener to retain itself in bolt receiving position prior to theinsertion. of the bolt. The

present application is a division of my copending application Serial No.119,415 filed. January '7, 19 37.

Previous forms of fastening devices of this nature have not provided anymeans for closing the aperture through which the fastener has beeninserted, and where such fasteners have been used, for example, inconnection with the assembly of an automobile body, the opening enabledwater and other foreign matter'to enter the body. Similar conditionshave existed refrigerator cabinets where it is essential that theinsulation carrying compartments be sealed against the entrance ofmoisture, and in railway '20 cars, airplanes, steel tanks, furnaces andassociated types of products.

An object of the present invention, therefore,

is to make a threadless fastener which possesses adequate power forholding either a threaded member, or any other article, andwhich at thesame time, will have such relation to the opening through which thefastener is inserted that it will be held rigidly in article receivingposition, and will automatically seal the opening through 30 trance ofmoisture or foreign material. A

This invention is shown in various forms-in the-drawing, wherein Fig. 1is a top plan View of one form of the invention; Fig. 2 is a side view,

of the fastener that is shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a top plan of anarticle having openings therein for receiving the fastener, and forreceiving a threaded member with which the fastener is intended to beused and Fig. 4 is a verticalsection' 40 I taken through a plurality ofparts that are joined together by means of a fastener embodying myinvention.

The fastener which is illustrated in the drawing has a body portion 10,one end of which is bent upwardly and backwardly upon itself, as at I I,and which cooperates with bent portions 12' to provide a bolt-receivingportion for engaging a multiple turn on the shank of a threaded member13. To hold the fastener in bolt-receiving position upon a part tobe-joined, I provide a clip at theend opposite the turned-up portion IIand I prefer to form the clip out of the material which comprises thebody of the fastener. In the form illustrated, the clip embodies atongue I 5 which is struck downwardly from which the fastener wasinserted against the enthe fastener body at a point spaced inwardly fromthe end I 6 thereof, and sufliciently far to engage the underside of oneof the parts to be joined.

The engagement between the top and bottom 5 sides of a part to be joinedis illustrated in Fig. 4 wherein ll represents a plate having abolt-receiving aperture l8 therein and a fastener receiving aperture I 9therein. The tongue 15 is spaced sufliciently far from the body of thefas- 10 tener, that when the edge of the opening 19 engages the crotchor shoulder 9 between the tongue l5 and the fastener body, the boltreceiving aperture on the fastener will be in registration with the boltopening I8 on the part n.

To attach the fastener to the panel, the opening l9 on the part I! hasone dimension which is substantially the same as the width of thefastener body and with just enough clearance' toadmit the fastenerreadily, while the transverse 20 dimension is suflicient to permitendwise movement of the fastener through the opening during the assemblyoperation. When the crotch on the fastener is in engagement with theedge 20, however, part of the opening l9 would normally remain unsealed,and whenever the fastener is used for assembling the fender on anautomobile body, the unsealed part would permit the entrance of water,exhaust vapors, dirt and foreign matter into the body. To conceal 80such opening, therefore, I provide on the fastener body, an extension 25which fits snugly within the openingafter the fastener has been insertedinto place. By utilizing a close-fit between the extension and the wallsof the opening- I9, the end 16, of the extension can be snapped intoabutting engagement with the wall 42 of the opening I 9 as the final actin the assembly; operation. Thereupon, the fastener-is securely held inbolt-receiving position, and at the same time the opening through whichthe fasteneris inserted is adequately sealed.

To attach a fastener made in accordance with my invention, the end ofthe thread engaging portions thereon may be inserted through 'theopening 19 from the side shown as the bottom in Fig. 4 until the part I!adjacent the wall 20 enters the space between the fastener body and thetongue I 5. Thereupon the fastener is pushed forwardly until the end Itof the extension snaps into abutting engagement with the wall 42.Thereafter the part 30 and the washer 3| having openings 32 and 33therein in registration with the opening l8 may 'be brought intoposition be inserted through the openings. At such time the portions i2engage one turn of the bolt thread and the thread engagin P rtion 35 onthe upturned part II engages another turn of the bolt thread. Theportion 3! is preferably made in the shape of the helix on the marginalportion of a notch. 36 that is illustrated at the end of the upturnedpart I'l. Thus, when the bolt is tightened all of the parts are broughtinto cooperating relationship.

' An advantage of a fastener which is made in accordance with myinvention is the fact that it is self-sustaining in bolt, or article,receiving position, and that it may be easily manufactured by relativelysimple tools. A further advantage is the fact that when the fastener isused in those locations whereythe assembly opening must be sealed, theclosure or sealing is effected auto matioally when the fastener islocked in bolt 0 article receiving, position.

I claim:

1. A fastening device comprising a sheet metal strip of uniform widththroughout its length and applicable to a part to be joined through an'assembly slot therein, the fastener having one portion overlying thepart and another portion underlying said part, one of said portionshaving means formed thereon for engaging one turn of a threaded memberand having the end thereof bent upwardly and inwardly and engaginganother turn of the threaded member, said fastener having a shoulderadjacent the junction of the overlying and underlying portions andhaving means for engaging the, oppo- 5 'site wall of the slot in thepart to be joined, and

for locking the fastener tosaid part.

2. The combination of a support provided with a bolt passage andanassembling slot, a part connected to said support and having a boltpassage 40 in registration with the bolt passage in said support and aone-piece connecting device comprising a pair of members, one of whichis pro- -vided with integral bolt receiving means deformed therefromandis applicable to the assembling slot from one side: of the support tobe positioned on the opposite side thereof with the bolt receiving meansoverlying the bolt passage and in position to receive a bolt fasteningto connect said part to the support, said device having, spacedshoulders thereon for engaging '50 .opposite walls in the assemblingslot for locking the device in the support and having means thereonbetween the shoulders for sealing the assembling slot.

3. In combination with a support provided with an assembling opening, asheet metal fastening device comprising a body including a tongue struckout of the plane thereof and extending in spaced relation thereto, saidtongue and body cooperating to engage opposite faces of the supportthrough said opening and said body having an extension whichsubstantially seals said opening and extends in the same generaldirection as the body, said extension being provided with meansengageable with a side wall of said opening and cooperating with saidtongue to lock the device in the applied fastening position, and saidbody including means deformed therefrom adapted to receive a boltfastening for retaining an object relative to the support.

4. In combination with a support provided with an assembling opening, afastening device comprising a body including a tongue struck out of theplane of said body, said tongue and body cooperating to provide a crotchfor receiving the support and engaging one wall of said opening and saidbody having an extension substantially sealing said opening in theapplied fastening position, said extension including means engaging awall of the opening opposite that engaged by the crotch of the fasteningdevice I to lock the device in such applied fastening position, saidbody comprisingbolt receiving means for receiving a bolt fastening insecuring an object with respect to the support.

5. The combination of a' support provided with a bolt passage and anassembling slot, a part to be connected to said support, and aconnecting device comprising a body member carrying bolt engaging meansand including an extension and a tongue struck therefrom to extend inspaced relation thereto, said body member being applicable through theassembling slot from one side of the support to be positioned on theopposite side thereof with the bolt engaging means overlying the boltpassage and in position to receive a bolt fastening to connect said partto the support, said body member and tongue cooperating to engageopposite faces of the support in maintaining the connecting device inapplied fastening position thereon, said extension substantially sealingthe slot and including means engaging a wall thereof to lock the devicein such applied fastening position. v

6. The combination of a support. provided with a bolt passage and anassembling slot, a part to be connected to said support, and a one-piecesheet metal connecting device comprising a body member having integralbolt engaging means deformed therefrom, said body member.including anextension and a tongue struck therefrom to extend in spaced relationthereto, said body member being applicable through the assembling slotfrom one side of the support to be positioned on the opposite sidethereof with, the bolt engaging means overlying the bolt passage and inposition to receive a bolt fastening to connect said part to thesupport, said body member and tongue cooperating to engage oppositefaces of the support in maintaining the connecting device in appliedposition thereon, said extension substantially sealing the slot andbeing provided with means for engaging a side wall thereof to lock thedevice in such applied fastening position.

GEORGE A. TINNERMAN.

